1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hydraulic presses, and more specifically to structural systems allowing for the removal and replacement of diaphragms connected to a plate-formed attachment member operable within a press stand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presses are knwon, e.g., as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,361, within a press stand includes a pressure space formed by an upper yoke, a lower yoke and spacers therebetween (which elements are held together by means of a prestressed strip sheath) and houses a pressure cell which includes a diaphragm of flexible material and a forming pad which is influenced by the diaphragm. The forming pad is also of flexible material and is capable of pressing a sheet of metal against a tool in order to be formed thereby, the sheet of metal taking on the shape of the tool, and the tool being positioned within the pressure space beneath the flexible pad.
Presses of the aforementioned type are often very large, such that the length of the working chamber within the press stand may be 5 meters and the width may be 2 meters. The diaphragm, forming pad and plate-formed attachment member(s) to which they are attached may be extremely heavy, and many problems are encountered when it is desired to remove and replace the diaphragm. According to the prior art, in order to replace the diaphragm the entire press stand, which may weigh several hundred tons, is rotated in its entirety so that the diaphragm, together with the plate-formed attachment member, can be detached and withdrawn. However, constructing the press stand so as to be rotatable involves various problems and undesirable constructional complications due to the enormous weight thereof.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to design a support system for a plate-formed attachment member such that it can be easily inserted into and withdrawn from a press stand, the support system providing easy access to the diaphragm attached to the plate-formed attachment member and also allowing for the press stand to be constructed so as to be supported in a fixed position, i.e., constructed so as to be fully functional without the need for auxiliary apparatus to rotate it.